Nearly two weeks after securing a presidential endorsement from political power organization, Higher Heights, Sen. Kamala Harris is getting much more than a public co-sign from the organization dedicated to elevating Black women to public office. Over the next week, the New York-based operation will team up with Black women in three states to draw support for their chosen candidate.
The topic of conversation will center on “why Senator Harris is the only candidate who can restore justice to the White House and take on the fights that matter most to the American people,” according to a press release shared with ESSENCE. In addition, Harris is expected to make her case for why she’s the best fit to address economic justice, health care justice, reproductive justice, and criminal justice reform — issues that remain a focus for Black women voters.
Key events are jumping off in Atlanta on Thursday following the November primary debates. Harris plans to headline a Black Women’s Power Breakfast that morning which will be moderated by Tiffany Cross co-hosted by Higher Heights and The Collective PAC, an organization working to fix underrepresentation of African Americans in elected seats. Both organizations have endorsed Harris’ campaign and have offered much-needed manpower on behalf of a candidate whose electability has been questioned since announcing.
On Thursday Higher Heights will also host a fundraiser in Harlem for the former San Francisco District Attorney. According to a May NBC News report, Harris has done well with rounding up financial support in communities of color. The New York city affair comes at a time when 2020 conversations are increasingly focused on how well candidates are doing with Black voters.
South Carolina will be one of the earliest tests to see how candidates fare with the Democratic Party’s loyal voting block. On Friday the Senator will be joined there by actress and activist Sheryl Lee Ralph and Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence for the kick-off for what is being dubbed the “Black Women Weekend of Action.” Phone banking, canvassing, and a Black women’s town hall are all planned, along with other events that the campaign says will hopefully “fire up” voters across the southern state.